Over the last few years there have been many primetime animated shows trying to get the attention of audiences, and perhaps snag some viewers from one of the most successful, “The Simpsons.” Many lasted only a short time, and most never made it past a first or second episode. In 1997, Mike Judge, the creator of “Beavis and Butthead”, tried his hand at the mainstream market. This news was initially met with the same reaction by two opposing audiences. Fans of “Beavis and Butthead” thought the show would be awful because Judge’s work would be reigned in by the network. People who hated “B and B”, also thought the show would be awful because there was no way Judge could create anything good. Well, they were both wrong weren’t they? Six years ago, “King of the Hill” proved itself to be a mainstream hit almost immediately. Based on Judge’s experiences growing up in Arlen, Texas, the show is still running strong in 2003.

The series revolves around Hank Hill, a propane salesman, his family and friends, and life in a small Texas town. The humor is sharp and sarcastic, and as seemingly ridiculous as it may be at times, it is amazingly truer to life than many might think.

Viewers who don’t live in small towns more than likely find the stories to be extreme exaggerations, however those of us who live really close to ‘small town Texas’ can easily identify with the characters and lifestyles, all the while nodding our heads in a collective recognition of East Texans. All of us know a ‘Bill’, the friendly goof, or a ‘Boomhauer’, the guy so laid back that you can never understand what he’s saying. To say that propane, boggle tournaments and lawn tractors constitutes a way of life is not too far off the mark. Actually I understand that some of the real people of Arlen take offense at the series, stating (as clearly as they can) that it misrepresents their way of life. Sure it does (wink wink).

I’d say it’s pretty well summed up in the opening dialogue from the Pilot episode…

BILL: Yep.
DALE: Yep.
HANK: Yep.
BOOMHAUER: M-hm

That, my friends is considered a whole conversation in East Texas.

“King of the Hill” in it’s first season captured a fan base from the first episode, and the first season is now available in a must have three-disc set from Fox Home Entertainment. All thirteen episodes are presented in their original full screen aspect ratio, and the transfer is outstanding. Aside from some of the rough animation in these early episodes, the picture and colors are very sharp, and are amongst the cleanest looking of some of the other recent animated series releases.

The extras in this set are nothing short of amazing. The first disc has an incredibly comprehensive ‘Making of…’ Featurette that tells you just about everything you might have ever wanted to know about the making of the show. At lot of detail is presented in terms of the show’s origin and what changes had to be made in order to get it on the air. This is a ‘must watch’ feature for everyone who has even a passing interest in the series. The second disc contains “Meet the Hills”, with which you can click on pictures of the characters to view background info on them, including early sketches. There’s also a “Do’s and Don’ts” feature that shows us sketches that the animators use in order to get certain movements or actions right. Disc three offers up a Barenaked Ladies Music Video and Promo Spots.

The highlight feature on all three discs has to be the commentaries. As was expected, some of the commentaries are done by some of the creative team behind the series, like co-creator Greg Daniels and director Klay Hall. The only thing I missed was some commentary by Judge himself. The best commentaries available however are by a few of the characters in the show. That’s right, four of the episodes contain insight from the likes of Peggy and Bobby Hill, as well as Dale and Bill. This was a really nice extra touch in an already impressive set.

“King of the Hill” ranks high, not only in terms of being an animated series, but also against any of the primetime comedies TV currently has to offer. This first season disc will certainly make a worthwhile addition to any DVD collection.

Episodes:
Pilot
Square Peg
The Order of the Straight Arrow
Luanne’s Saga
Hank’s Got the Willies
Westie Side Story
Hank’s Unmentionable Problem
Shins of the Father
Peggy the Boggle Champ
Keeping Up With Our Joneses
Plastic White Female
The Company Man
King of the Ant Hill

Starring the voices of: Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Segall, Brittany Murphy, Stephen Root, Johnny Hardwick
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Selected Episode Commentaries by You Favorite Characters, Barenaked Ladies Music Video, Animatics, Alternate Ending, Promo Spots, Behind the Scenes Featurette, Meet the Hills Gallery.
Specifications: Full Screen (1.33:1), English Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Surround
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 7/1/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Or if you’d like to find out a little about the real Arlen, Texas check out their website.

We'll give King of the Hill - Season 1 an A.